


One less death

by KipDigress



Series: Stopping to think [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Gen, More or less Canon Compliant, Stopping to think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-01-23 11:14:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18548644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KipDigress/pseuds/KipDigress
Summary: In which Jack is forced to stop for a minute and one life is saved, but it's not enough. So Ianto does what he can to understand, leaving the ineffectual pleading to Gwen.





	1. Not dying

**Author's Note:**

> Given that the government is most definitely not to be trusted, it has always struck me a bit odd that Dekker is given the task of forwarding the video feed from Thames House to (I assume) Gwen. In general, attempts at saving Ianto Jones leave me shaking my head at their ridiculousness (there are a couple of exceptions, notably 'Finding another way' and 'Time loves you'), so here's how I think Ianto Jones could not die in Thames House.

'Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, we're Torchwood,' Jack announced, and they slapped their guns down on the table in unison.

The guards were perturbed and the initial confusion was quickly followed by an involved discussion that involved confirming their orders through a tortuous and confused chain of command. Jack and Ianto stood quietly off to one side, well away from their firearms.

'You wouldn't believe that they're waiting on instructions from less than a mile away,' Ianto remarked dryly.

Jack didn't reply, staring distractedly out of the window.

'You OK?' Ianto asked after another few moments of Jack's uncharacteristic patience in the face of bureaucratic delays.

'I'm worried, Ianto,' Jack murmured after a stretched silence.

'About what?'

'That's the problem,' Jack said, voice low, as he ran a hand through his hair, 'I can't place it.' He glanced briefly at Ianto standing beside him before returning his uneasy gaze to the street outside. 'What do we know of the 456?'

'That our air is poison to them, that they want our children, though quite why is unclear, and that they are holding the human race to ransom with the threat of influenza for the second time in fifty years,' Ianto summarised.

'A virus, huh?' Jack confirmed.

'It seems so, Sir.'

'And their position in this building?' Jack asked, feeling that the puzzle pieces were, if not fitting in to place, at least becoming clear.

'From what Lois showed us, they're - or it's - on the thirteenth floor in a specially designed and purpose built container filled with a gas mixture that is suitable for them but deadly for us.'

'Except me,' Jack pointed out, but Ianto wasn't fooled by Jack's attempt at brazen confidence.

'Except you, Sir,' Ianto agreed obligingly. 'Well, you'll still die, but it wouldn't stick,' he continued, being pedantic. He lapsed into silence for a moment before recommencing in a more speculative tone: 'If the chamber were breached, Thames House's automatic systems would seal the building. It's built to withstand chemical and biological attack. Mustard gas and worse,' Jack shuddered, and Ianto quickly moved on. 'The anticipation is, presumably, an external threat, but the detection and isolation systems would work both ways.'

'And you know this how?' Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.

'I worked for Torchwood One, Sir. They liked to know exactly who would still be standing if the world got tilted on its axes.' Ianto didn't feel the need to elaborate on the fact that he'd filled in most of the details himself, following up a few overhead sentences of a rather fraught conversation shortly after the ghost shifts had first started.

'Humph,' Jack's tone made it clear that he was aware that Ianto hadn't really answered his question, but it was not the time to press for details, and he let it slide.

'It looks like they're getting to the stage of confirming orders,' Ianto observed after a minute or two of quiet, 'We should get going.'

'Hmm,' was Jack's distracted reply. He was clearly mulling something over. Ianto took a step towards the waiting guard when he beckoned, but Jack reached out and grabbed his arm. 'Wait,' he murmured. Ianto held up a hand to the guard asking for a bit of time and was acknowledged by a nod of understanding. 'So the 456 can control viruses and are currently inside a building that can be made airtight,' Jack stated, summarising Ianto's earlier exposition.

'That about sums it up,' Ianto confirmed.

'I don't like it, Ianto,' Jack repeated, 'I don't like it one bit.'

'Neither do I, Sir,' Ianto agreed, though he felt that he was missing at least one important implication of what Jack was saying.

'No Ianto,' Jack contradicted, his voice sharp and stressed, not fooled by Ianto's bland agreement, 'I think you're missing the point. We're about to go up there and tell the representative of a species that specialises in virological warfare that they can't have any more children. What do you expect them to do? Not throw a tantrum?'

'Oh,' Ianto nodded in sudden understanding and his already serious expression became more solemn.

'Exactly,' Jack said, glad that he hadn't needed to spell out his fears. 'I'm not going to repeat the mistakes I made with Owen and Tosh by assuming that you'll survive because you've already survived so much.'

'So what do I do?' Ianto asked despondently, not really trying to keep the hurt from his voice.

'Not die on me,' Jack replied with an attempt at levity, 'I couldn't bear it,' he concluded gravely.

'And I couldn't bear waiting outside doing nothing,' Ianto shot back, his voice quiet but firm, aware that this argument was not something to be overheard.

'I know,' Jack agreed softly, meeting Ianto's gaze.

'So what do I do?' Ianto asked again.

'Wait outside doing something,' Jack replied with an attempt at a cheeky grin and a suggestively raised eyebrow.

'But what, exactly?' Ianto asked, a little confused, 'we left all our equipment at the warehouse with Gwen.' Jack gave Ianto a look that he had long ago learnt meant that the Captain would deal with it. Ianto sighed and tried to look confident as he followed Jack over to the desk where, having received orders that Torchwood were to be granted everything they asked for, the security guards were obligingly waiting to return their guns to them.

'Hey guys,' Jack said in his most disarmingly friendly tone as he reached the desk, 'Do you have a laptop that Ianto here can borrow?'

'Of course,' came the prompt reply from the guard who seemed to be in charge, and moments later held out a laptop for Ianto.

Ianto took the proffered laptop and the slip of paper with the password written on it.

'Oh, and before we get this show on the road,' Jack continued cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to the suspicious looks being directed at him, 'is there access to the roof?'

'The roof?' asked the senior guard, clearly confused.

'Yes, the roof,' Jack confirmed.

'Of course, floor 13, turn right out of the lift, then second right. The door's on the left at the end of the corridor,' despite his obvious confusion, the guard's instructions were concise.

'Perfect, will there be problems if the access door is opened?'

'Not if I temporarily disable the alarm from here,' the guard said. 'You'll need this key and the correct code to get back in though.' He flicked through the large bunch of keys that hung from his belt, detached one and handed it to Jack who quickly pocketed it.

'The code?' Ianto prompted.

'Oh, let me see,' the guard thought for a minute, '1309, I think,' he said somewhat hesitantly.

'You think?' Jack queried.

'I'm sure,' the guard confirmed, a little uncomfortable.

'Right, thank you. Ready Ianto?' Jack asked, eager to get moving, having taken his gun back when offered to him by one of the other security guards.

'One minute Jack,' Ianto said, before turning to the senior guard. 'Excuse me,' he said politely, 'I was just wondering about the internet connection up on the roof. I assume you have wifi throughout the building, but given that the roof is above the majority of the transmitters and wifi signals can be attenuated severely by walls, particularly if there are steel beams or other metal obstructions, I am sure you can appreciate my concern for the strength of the signal on the roof.'

The senior guard to whom the enquiry had been addressed looked nonplussed for a moment. Once he had processed Ianto's remarks, he nodded sagely. 'It's rare for internet to be needed on the roof, but situations in which it might be required have been considered. You are right to be concerned. The signal is significantly weakened. Spencer,' he called out, addressing one of the other security guards, 'can you get me the box marked 'roof' from the second safe, please?'

Ianto took back his gun and handed the laptop to Jack while the box was fetched and the senior guard rummaged through it to pull out two objects. By the time the guard had found what he was looking for, Ianto had tucked his gun away at the small of his back to leave both hands free.

'This gets connected to the ethernet port and power socket just inside the second door,' the senior guard said, handing a fist sized object, whose size was doubled due to the cables wrapped around it, to Ianto. 'Leave it just inside the door,' he instructed, 'the door must close properly otherwise the systems think that something's gone wrong,' he explained.

Ianto nodded and took the cable-wrapped object and the much smaller item that he was also handed. 'And this?' he asked, softly.

'Plugs into the laptop, acts as a receiver,' the guard explained. 'It's basically a USB stick.'

'So the transmitter works at a different frequency to normal wifi,' Ianto said, earning himself a series of blank looks from all except Jack who smiled and raised an eyebrow. It was high time they got started. 'Thank you very much for your help, sir,' Ianto said courteously as he slipped the USB stick into a pocket and took the laptop back from Jack.

They took the lift up to the 13th floor, checking their guns again as they did so. There wasn't much to say: Ianto knew that Jack wanted him to send the footage from the room on the 13th floor to Gwen, although he had taken the pains to insist on not using the Torchwood software unless absolutely necessary; a few secrets had to be kept. He went with Jack into the room with the tank, and made sure of the information he would need to send the recording to Gwen. A last shared look with Jack and he retraced his steps to the lift and continued past it, following the guard's directions.

Opening what he hoped was the correct door, Ianto was faced with a dark narrow space with a second door immediately ahead. He spotted the ethernet port with its adjacent power socket and crouched down to connect the transmitter as instructed. He watched for a moment as two lights flickered orange and then green before he opened the second door and stepped out onto the roof. He let the door close behind him and quickly found a sheltered spot in the warming sun.

After logging into the laptop, he quickly connected the USB stick and had soon set up the transmission to Gwen. He knew it would reduce the battery and transmitting time, but he watched, fascinated, as Jack stood up to the 456 and was then killed - along with every other person in the building. Tears flowed unheeded down his face as he realised just how close he had come to being one of them: and, unlike Jack, his death, while he hoped it to have been dignified, would have been permanent.


	2. Aftermath: London

Gwen followed the UNIT soldiers to one of the rooms where they'd laid out those who had died in Thames House. She felt numb. Had it all been for nothing? Was Rhys OK? She dared not call him; since Ianto's phone call before he and Jack went inside, they could now track her calls. And what of Ianto? she wondered. He'd been inside, but hadn't been within view as Jack died.

'Thirteen,' the soldier told her, pointing to red sheet covered body with a number beside it.

Gwen nodded and made her way slowly to the indicated place, glad that the soldiers did not follow. She knelt down beside Jack, and gently pulled the red sheet back from his face. She waited patiently until he came back to life with a slight gasp, far less dramatic that his usual recovery.

'Where's Ianto?' she asked, before he'd had time to sit up.

'On the roof,' Jack replied.

'How did you manage that?' Gwen asked, surprised that Ianto had allowed himself to be put out of harm's way. 

'Persuasion,' Jack told her with a grin and a wink.

'Really?' Gwen was not buying it.

'No,' Jack said more soberly, 'we realised there was a chance of getting trapped inside an airtight building with a creature that has a believable threat of a virus that's worse than the Spanish flu. Besides, I wouldn't trust anyone in this building to send you the video feed you needed.'

'And why's he still on the roof?' Gwen asked. It was after sunset and the autumn evening was cool and a touch damp. Ianto hadn't had his jacket with him when he and Jack had left the warehouse.

'Because I pocketed the key,' Jack said, fishing it out and holding it up. 'There was no way I was having him come hurrying back in before it was completely safe to do so.'

'Come on then,' Gwen said, standing up and setting off through the rows of bodies to the central aisle. 'What are you waiting for?' she asked impatiently when she realised that Jack wasn't following her.

'Nothing,' Jack said, clearly lying, and slowly walked over to join her.

Gwen looped her arm through Jack's and kept a firm pressure on it as they made their way through various corridors and up the long flights of stairs - somewhat more pleasant smelling than the lifts - to the thirteenth floor.

'The roof?' Gwen asked softly when they reached the topmost floor of the building.

'Right out of the lift and second right, door on the left at the end,' Jack reeled off and followed meekly as Gwen oriented herself at the lift and led the way down the quiet corridors.

They opened what they hoped was the correct door, saw the transmitter that Ianto had been given, and opened the second door onto the roof. They looked around, aware of the coolness of the evening air.

'Where is he?' Jack murmured.

'Ianto?' Gwen called. 'Ianto, it's me, Gwen.'

'Yeah,' came a faint reply, sounding cold, worried and tired.

'It's over, Ianto,' Gwen called to him, not entirely able to keep her voice steady.

They could hear movement on the roof and soon enough Ianto appeared, looking cold and worn, the borrowed laptop, battery long dead, tucked carefully under one arm. The temperature had dropped with the arrival of the autumn twilight, and he was only wearing a waistcoat over his light cotton shirt.

Gwen stepped forward and gave him a hug while Jack hung back holding the door open.

'Come on, Ianto,' Gwen said softly, 'let's get you inside, you must be bloody freezing.'

Ianto nodded, but hung back, resisting Gwen's gentle tug on his arm.

'What happened?' he asked, gaze seeking Jack's. 'I saw you die on the feed, but what of everyone else?'

'They couldn't get out,' Jack said sadly, refusing to meet Ianto's eyes.

'How many?' Ianto asked.

'The best part of two hundred,' Gwen replied when Jack didn't answer.

'Shit,' Ianto murmured, appalled at the additional weight to Jack's conscience.

'They killed Clem too,' Gwen added, voice heavy with unshed tears. Ianto raised a hand and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. Gwen had gained Clem's trust and to witness his death must have been upsetting.

'It's not over yet,' Jack said firmly after a moment. 'Four days ago, the Government ordered the execution of three people who had also been involved in 1965. I've got to convince them that neither of you is any sort of threat. The only way to do that is to send you both home.'

Ianto opened his mouth to object, but Jack cut him off before he could get a sound out.

'You need to keep your family safe, Ianto,' he told him.

'And what about yours?' Ianto retorted softly.

'That's why I have to give myself up,' Jack explained. 'The video from the eye-fives protects the two of you and Rhys from any immediate repercussions.'

Gwen gave Jack a pleading look, but it was clear that he was not to be argued with so she nodded slowly in submission.

'Well, I guess that's it then,' Ianto said pragmatically, 'time for us to get going.'

They trooped back inside and down through the building, snorting at the smell of death that lingered and shuddering slightly at the thought of what had happened and so nearly happened. After a dreary meeting with Frobisher, during which Jack seemed willing to give into every demand made of them, Gwen phoned Rhys and a helicopter was arranged to take the three of them back to Wales. Ianto was reluctant, clearly torn between wanting to argue to stay with Jack and following his orders, but avoiding an argument won out and Jack was standing aloof, refusing to communicate with either of them.

They were taken down to the riverside to await the helicopter, Ianto leaving the now redundant laptop on the reception desk of Thames House as they passed out: he didn't need a charge of stealing government equipment to catch up with him once they'd sorted out the major problems and were sifting through the details, looking for scapegoats.

Jack hugged Gwen and she and Rhys ran to the waiting helicopter.

'I could stay,' Ianto offered, staring at the helicopter and the river beyond, 'help you finish this once and for all.'

'No, Ianto,' Jack said, and Ianto could hear the torment in his voice. 'This is something I must sort out alone.'

'In which case, I suppose this is the end of Torchwood,' Ianto said with a sad smile. 'The government got what they wanted in the end.'

'At least for the time being,' Jack replied.

They stood awkwardly for a long moment, aware of the waiting helicopter and the watching guards.

'I guess this is goodbye,' Ianto offered finally.

'You never know,' Jack said with forced cheer, 'I might come back to haunt you.'

'Now that would be worse than any ghost or poltergeist could ever be,' Ianto countered, amused despite the seriousness of the situation. 'I daren't begin to imagine what sort of havoc you would cause.'

'It's time,' the most senior guard interrupted.

'Goodbye Jack, Sir,' Ianto said, holding out his hand awkwardly. Jack ignored the hand and pulled Ianto into a hug, allowing himself one last shred of comfort before he didn't know what chaos started; standing by and watching 10% of the world's children be ripped from their families would surely only be the beginning.

'Look after your sister and her kids,' he whispered in Ianto's ear.

Ianto nodded mutely and Jack pulled back to place a gentle kiss on Ianto's lips before releasing him.

'Take care, Ianto Jones,' Jack said softly, hoping that the sincerity he meant had been understood.

'Good luck Jack,' Ianto replied and with a sniff turned and jogged across to the waiting helicopter. He looked back as he climbed in, brushing tears from his eyes as he took his seat. The engine noise changed and they were airborne. Ianto raised a hand in farewell as they rose, unsure of whether Jack could see him and aware that Jack couldn't reply since he'd been cuffed before Ianto had even reached the helicopter.


	3. Agreement

Ianto had heard from Jack exactly twice since he'd last seen him standing cuffed on the north bank of the Thames. Two short text messages: the first say that it was all over and that the Earth's children were safe; the second, very soon after, to detail what the price had been and inform Ianto that Jack had no intention to return to Cardiff any time soon. Ianto's replies had been brief and to the point: there was nothing anyone could do when Jack decided to leave but wait and hope that he wasn't too hurt or irreparably damaged when he came back. Now, after six months of silence, he'd received a third message:

'Entry to Roath Basin, Britannia Park side, 1300 tomorrow?'

'I'll be there.' He'd texted back.

The next day Ianto took more than normal care choosing his best suit - barring the black one he'd only worn twice to funerals - and a red shirt, picking out his favourite silk tie with the broad, ill-defined grey stripes. It would be cold, he knew, wrapping his scarf firmly round his neck and buttoning his coat tightly; he hoped it would be sufficient to prevent him from freezing his arse off in the damp spring air.

He arrived a few minutes before the agreed time but hung back from the lock gates at the entry to the Basin, trying to be unobtrusive, hoping to have a few minutes to study Jack and judge the toll the last six months had taken on him before having to meet him face to face. A façade was Jack's normal state when interacting with others, but it tended to be weaker when he felt he was unobserved. Today, though, Ianto had no such luck.

'Ianto,' came the familiar voice, from somewhere not far behind his right shoulder.

'Sir,' Ianto replied, turning smoothly to face Jack. He kept his eyes level and schooled his features into impassiveness. Jack looked worn: tired and heartbroken and worn, and Ianto wished he could step forward and pull Jack into his arms and hold him until things got better. Unfortunately, he had realised, long ago that, while Jack's capacity to forgive others was enormous, his constantly struggled - or even completely refused - to forgive himself. One glance was enough to convince Ianto that Jack had indeed spent the past six months punishing himself. He could understand it - to an extent. Making a conscious, cold-blooded decision to kill one's grandson was inevitably going to be followed by a river of remorse, but pragmatism had to win through if one was going to continue being useful. Clearly Jack hadn't yet got to the stage of putting Steven's death - murder if you will - in perspective.

They walked to the corner where the lock provided shipping access to the Basin in silence, coming to rest side by side, leaning with their elbows on the top railing as they looked out at the calm waters. It was a dry day, though grey clouds brooded on the horizon, threatening rain and the air was raw with the cold damp of the departing winter.

'So,' Ianto said slowly, as the silent minutes stretched, 'what do I need to know?'

Jack sighed heavily, and Ianto guessed he was making a decision. 'I travelled, a lot, but no matter where I went, I couldn't escape Steven's screams or the look on Alice's face when I agreed.' Jack's voice was matter of fact and his expression, as Ianto saw when he glanced towards his companion, mild, showing no hint of the turmoil he was fairly certain was roiling relentlessly within Jack's breast. 'I've been to see the Queen: Flat Holm will continue to receive funding, but otherwise Torchwood is disbanded. Gwen and Rhys are in deep cover, witness protection. Your fate is somewhat harder to arrange.'

'Which means what exactly?' Ianto inquired when Jack didn't continue.

'Between her pregnancy and Rhys, it is not practical to completely erase all record of Gwen Cooper,' Jack continued slowly. 'And, although she can look after herself, she never did grasp the full implications of what Torchwood did. This makes her, in some ways more vulnerable, even while the very absence of concrete knowledge protects her. Even without your time in London, your knowledge of Torchwood is second only to my own. I can't stay on Earth, but it would ease my conscience - not that my conscience should be eased -' Jack's voice turned sour for a moment before stabilising, 'if I could be certain you were as safe as possible.'

Ianto nodded in understanding, even while he wasn't certain quite where Jack's unusually verbose explanation was heading. 'Go on,' he prompted when the silence stretched.

'The surest way to keep you safe is to kill you,' Jack stated, his soft voice contrasting with the harshness of the words.

'OK,' Ianto said slowly, turning so he could watch Jack intently. 'And you're concerned because my sister will have to believe that I'm dead,' he stated after a moment.

'Yes,' Jack said sadly. 'I am sorry.'

'Me too,' Ianto agreed softly. 'It will be OK, though,' he added.

The quiet stretched, the still waters silent while the raucous screams of the gulls as they flew past stood out sharply against the dull background hum of traffic.

'So,' Ianto said eventually, 'how do I die?'

'Not in an incident with the toaster, would you believe,' Jack replied with forced cheer and a sideways look at Ianto who had relaxed as far to have leant an elbow on the rail, though he was still looking directly at Jack rather than at the inviting distraction of the glistening water.

'That's a relief,' Ianto responded dryly, after snorting softly in amusement at the image, even as it conjured up bittersweet memories of Tosh.

'I've one last thing to do before I leave,' Jack said, his eyes gazing at some unseen point. 'The most haunted pub in Wales is closing.'

'The House of the Dead,' Ianto said; few who lived long in Wales were unaware of the pub's reputation, nor of the regular seances held there.

'That's the one. Tonight's their last seance.'

'And you're going.'

'Yes,' Jack said with a sigh. 'There's a reason the seances are so popular; they are as near to successful as seances can be. Anyone who goes obviously has preconceptions, expectations - and they're met.' Jack turned his face to look at Ianto, his expression a mixture of honesty and regret. 'I don't know much, but it's connected to the Rift: there's a creature, Syriath, that feeds on the memories the visitors hold of their loved ones; it, she, I suppose, all accounts give it a female identity, uses the connection to reach into this world; if she gets through, she'll consume the world.'

'Like Abaddon?'

'Not a bit. But that is the scale of what we're dealing with,' Jack admitted, shaking his head as if to dislodge a fly and turning his gaze back to the cold depths in front of them.

'So what do we do?' Ianto asked.

'Save the world one last time; finish Torchwood's work.'

Ianto nodded, allowing himself a small smile. Jack had his principles, and, whether or not he was aware of doing it, generally held to them. Even killing his grandson fell into that category: one child against millions of children against an entire species.

'And I'll die in the process,' Ianto remarked calmly.

'Yeah, closing the Rift with a box of pebbles, not exactly a risk free operation,' the bitterness underlying Jack's tone was unmistakeable and if Ianto hadn't already been sure that Jack was still wallowing in his self-hatred, this last sentence would have laid any suspicions he may or may not have had to rest.

'It's OK, Jack,' Ianto said, throwing as much reassurance into his voice and expression as he could. 'But let me say goodbye to my sister?'

'Of course,' Jack agreed readily. It was a small and reasonable request. He knew Ianto wasn't close to his sister, but she had helped him when he'd asked and Ianto had phoned her on the way to Thames House. Farewells, he knew, could be important.

'Thank you,' Ianto said simply, causing Jack to finally turn and look at him properly. Ianto met his gaze quite calmly, his expression sad but not unhappy. The reality of Jack's life was something that he'd long accepted - at least intellectually. He was just glad that, given the events of six months ago, he was getting the opportunity to say goodbye. Running away without a word of farewell was Jack's defence mechanism; being given an explanation was a huge, and somewhat unexpected, but not unwelcome change.

Jack frowned. 'How can you stand there so calmly and not say a word while I run off and abandon you?' he asked in response to Ianto's raised eyebrow.

'Because I know you, Jack,' Ianto said sadly, holding his friend's gaze. 'You have an enormous capacity for forgiveness, but the one person you seem unable to forgive is yourself.'

'And you?' Jack asked.

'I try to understand, and in understanding your actions can accept them and place their consequences in their proper place. You never make decisions that lead to others' deaths unless the alternative is not entirely untenable.' Ianto took a deep breath, waiting, almost expecting Jack to interrupt with some smart or self-denigrating comment. 'As you once told me, no matter what else we are or are not to each other, you're my friend. I have nothing to forgive you for,' he continued when Jack remained quiet, 'but can remind you to forgive yourself.'

'Oh Ianto,' Jack sighed, and Ianto dared to place a tentative hand on Jack's elbow, relieved when Jack didn't shrug him off. 'It's not going to be easy for you, is it?'

'No,' Ianto said frankly, 'but it's OK, sir,' he said, mustering a small smile. 'Lunch?' he suggested after another few minutes' quiet.

'Can't have you falling over on your way to your death,' Jack remarked lightly, and Ianto took that as agreement.


	4. Farewell to Family

'Rhi,' Ianto said, looking nervously over at his niece and nephew who seemed to be fully occupied by the TV. 'I need to tell you something, but it has to be secret.'

'OK, Ianto, I've got washing to sort out,' Rhi said brightly, taking the hint. After the events of six months ago, she had come to realise that Ianto might be a civil servant by definition of being employed by the state, but he couldn't or wouldn't talk to her about his job, though it was definitely considerably more hazardous than she had imagined. She led her brother back to the small utility room that contained the washing machine and drier, as well as her children's muddy boots. Ianto wedged himself into a corner, making sure he had a good view through the open door.

'I've a job to do, Rhi,' he said softly, glad his sister was making truth out of her statement and concentrating on sorting the washing, so avoiding her gaze was simplified. 'I may not survive.' He sighed. 'I hope I do, but I will be killed by it anyway.' 

'What do you mean?' Rhi asked sharply.

'Officially, I'll be dead whatever happens,' Ianto told her.

'You mean there'll be a funeral and everything?' Rhi asked.

'Maybe, maybe not,' Ianto shrugged. 'I've got to disappear, Rhi,' he continued quietly, looking into his sister's eyes and hoping she would understand.

'I'll miss you,' she said sadly.

'I love you, don't forget that,' Ianto told her. 'Remind David and Mica of that now and again?' He raised his voice so Johnny who had come into the kitchen. 'Johnny, take care of them for me,' he called out.

With nothing more to say he pushed off from the bench corner and gave his sister a hug. 'I need to go,' he told her.

'I love you,' Rhi said with a sniff.

'Take care,' Ianto whispered, kissing her cheek and releasing her. He shook Johnny's hand as he passed and risked David and Mica's disgusted looks by ruffling their hair as he passed them on his way out.

'All done?' Jack asked when Ianto climbed into the car.

'Yeah,' Ianto said with a sad sigh. He wasn't close to his sister, but goodbyes were always tough. Jack reached over and placed a comforting hand on Ianto's shoulder. Their next stop was the most haunted pub in Wales and, they hoped, closing the Rift forever.


	5. Aftermath: farewell to Earth

'What is there to stay for?' Jack asked Gwen tiredly, barely seeing the three people in front of him or the lights of the city laid out behind them.

'Ianto, me,' Gwen replied.

'Not enough,' Jack said harshly. He took a deep breath and let it out in a shuddering sigh. 'Steven and Owen and Tosh and Suzie and Alex and so many more,' he stated harshly. 'All of them, because of me. A hundred and fifty years of not dying and look what I became. I got used to sending friends, colleagues and relatives to their deaths; I even started to like it. Tommy Brockless was right, I _am_ no better than the generals of the first world war.'

'And he knows what a set of tossers they were,' Rhys thought he heard Ianto mutter savagely.

'It wasn't your fault,' Gwen pointed out tearfully. 'Ianto loves you,' she threw out when Jack did not react.

'I know,' Jack said sadly, eyes flicking to the young welshman standing quietly beside Rhys, eyes bright with unshed tears. 'But he knows I cannot stay here, this planet, it's like a graveyard.'

'Ianto, say something,' Gwen cried, turning to face her friend and colleague. 'Persuade him to stay.'

'There's nothing we can do, Gwen,' Ianto said sadly, 'I've tried to convince him to stay, and he's determined to go.'

'So that's it? You're just going to allow him to run off again?' Gwen spat, whipping round to face Jack again.

'Yes,' Ianto said sadly.

'So Owen was right all along; what you had with Ianto isn't worth fighting for?' Gwen accused Jack who maintained his stoic immobility. 'Do you honestly think that we _like_ being picked up and dropped off like so much luggage?'

'I don't know,' Jack replied, anger making him sarcastic, 'probably not, but I do expect you to accept my decisions.'

'Ianto?' Gwen asked.

'I accept it, I even think I at least partly understand why he feels he has to go, but just because I do, doesn't mean I have to like it,' he concluded somewhat bitterly, failing to entirely suppress the hurt and anger he felt.

Jack closed his eyes briefly. 'Thank you Ianto,' he said gently when he opened them again.

Ianto nodded stiffly, face set and lips compressed in a thin line.

'So you're going?' Rhys said, after a strained silence.

'Yes,' Jack replied.

'You'll need this,' Rhys continued, pulling something out of his pocket and tossing it to Jack.

'Thanks,' Jack said, once he'd caught it and realised it was his wrist strap.

'But they died, Jack, and I am sorry, but you cannot just run away,' Gwen pleaded, tears running down her cheeks, as Jack fastened the wrist strap.

Jack simply shook his head. 'I've lived so many lives, it's time to find another one,' he told her.

'You cannot just run away, Jack,' Gwen repeated.

'Just you watch me,' Jack told her, pressing the buttons and casting one last glance at Ianto as he disappeared in a streak of light.

They stood in silence for a long moment, staring up at the stars towards which Jack had been whisked away. Rhys stirred first, taking a few slow steps forward to wrap a comforting arm around his wife.

'Let's go home, yeah?' he suggested gently.

'Yeah,' Gwen agreed, almost without knowing to what she acquiesced.

Rhys guided her round so they could make their way back down the hill towards the car.

'One minute,' Gwen said quietly to Rhys when she caught sight of Ianto, now staring glumly at the ground. 'I need to understand how he can just stand there.'

'OK,' Rhys agreed, already feeling a bit sorry for the younger man if Gwen got truly wound up.

'How can you just stand there, Ianto?' Gwen asked, the calm in her voice clearly forced. 'As if Jack disappearing is as normal as pizza and everything's OK?'

Ianto didn't answer for a long moment, and Gwen was about to ask again when he raised his face to look at her through tear bleared eyes. 'It's not OK,' he said flatly. 'It's shit, to be honest. But we have to trust Jack to do what's probably best. He has far more experience - over 100 years more experience - of this sort of stuff than either of us.'

'So you're just going to let him abandon you?' Gwen was incredulous. She knew that Ianto rarely fought for things in the way that she or even Owen or Tosh did, but this passivity was alarming.

'When you put it like that, yes,' Ianto agreed slowly, deliberately omitting to point out that actually Jack had really left them both behind six months before when he'd decided to not return to Cardiff.

'Why?'

'Because I trust him, Gwen,' Ianto told her simply. 'And it all goes to hell much quicker when we don't trust him.'

'He's got a point here,' Rhys added, thinking of things Gwen had told him that completely corroborated what he'd experienced. Gwen holding Cardiff together as Weevils became assassins and the city's infrastructure was crippled had been impressive, but he had also been impressed by her absolute faith that Jack would return to set things right.

'And what about you?' Gwen asked more calmly.

'Officially I'm dead,' Ianto said softly. 'I'll disappear and try to live a normal life and not go mad from boredom. You won't hear from me again.' His tone was light, but his wry smile didn't reach his eyes that maintained their sad expression.

'How will you cope?' Gwen wondered. Of all of them, perhaps even including Jack, Ianto's identity and life was tied most closely with Torchwood.

'Ways and means, Gwen, ways and means,' Ianto said with forced cheer. 'But I'd best be going,' he added with a glance at his watch. He took a few steps forward and held out a hand to Rhys who shook it firmly before turning to give Gwen a kiss on the cheek.

'Goodbye,' he said as he stepped back. 'Stay safe, try to cry at my funeral if they hold one, and I hope everything goes well.' Rhys nodded and Ianto set off down the hill towards Cardiff's lights.

'Oh Ianto,' Gwen murmured, giving into her tears. Rhys pulled his wife to him and held her while she cried for her friend's pain and the loss of the man who held part of her heart.

'Come on, love,' he said softly once Gwen's tears had subsided somewhat. 'Let's get home.' Gwen nodded and let herself be led back to the waiting car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is necessary to preserve the continuity into Miracle Day. I don't think much of Miracle Day as a dramatisation, mostly because there's far too much unnecessary shouting and the pacing is extremely uneven, but I think that it is fundamentally a good Torchwood story, and therefore consider as part of the whole. Bad TV ≠ bad premise.
> 
> At some point, I might add in an extra chapter where Ianto agrees to Jack leaving.
> 
> I have deliberately not rewatched the last scene of Day Five to used the original words verbatim wherever possible: Ianto surviving adds another dimension to that scene that I felt was better included if memory was relied on when writing.

**Author's Note:**

> I have been developing two very similar explorations into future Torchwood; one in which Ianto survives Thames House and therefore becomes embroiled in the Miracle and the other where he doesn't. This is the first part of the former; I am not filling in all the details, just sketching scenes that I believe are crucial.
> 
> There's a finite chance that this gets updated one more with a new chapter three in which Jack Harkness meets Elizabeth Regina II.
> 
> Apparently I write stuff that manages to make readers cry. Sorry about that.


End file.
